Prevention of Atherosclerosis

by Webmaster, All4NaturalHealth.com

This page discusses some suggestions toward the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a condition characterized by the thickening of blood vessels, also commonly referred to as "hardening" of the arteries. As this situation develops, blood flow becomes increasingly restricted, and the walls of the blood vessels also become weaker. This can cause pain in the legs and angina or chest pains.

At its worse, atherosclerosis can cause strokes and heart attacks, which claim thousands of lives in the modern world today.

With the potential gravity of the situation and the seriousness of this disease, it makes perfect sense to make prevention the primary weapon. This applies, of course, not just to atherosclerosis or heart disease, but also to all other dangerous chronic degenerative conditions.

Atherosclerosis is closely tied to hypertension or high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, obesity, as well as diabetes. In other words, persons who suffer from these ailments are also at increased risk of developing atherosclerosis. This gives us a huge clue on major steps which would be critical in the prevention of atherosclerosis.

These diseases are almost totally diet and lifestyle related. Poor diets containing too much sugar, too much refined foods, too much saturated fats, too much animal products, etc, as well as lack of physical activity are major causes of all of these ailments. If you wish to prevent atherosclerosis, you must start with your dietary and lifestyle habits.

Further, smoking is another risk factor, and avoiding or quitting the habit is another important part of preventing atherosclerosis. Of course, smoking also causes a whole host of other dangerous diseases, and has no part in any health-promoting lifestyle.

Here are some practical suggestions which could aid a protocol working toward the prevention of atherosclerosis.

• Avoid saturated fats found in meat and dairy.
  
  
• Avoid trans fats, found for example in margarine, hydrogenated oils and some processed foods.
  
  
• Consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, especially raw and organic ones.
  
  
• Consume more whole foods, such as whole grains, as supposed to refined foods.
  
  
• Consume more dietary fiber.
  
  
• Avoid high cholesterol foods; this includes meat and eggs.
  
  
• Watch your salt intake, especially of refined salt.
  
  
• Make sure you get enough selenium in your diet.
  
  
• Do not smoke.
  
  
• Maintain healthy weight; if you are overweight or obese, work towards reducing your weight.
  
  
• Undertake regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise.
  
  
• Learn to control your anger.
  
  
• Consume more omega 3 fatty acids; good sources include cold water fish, fish oil, and flax seed oil. Supplementation may be a good idea.
  
  
• Consume useful herbs and supplements. More on these are covered in the other atherosclerosis pages.
  
  

For more information on the prevention of atherosclerosis as well as recovery from the disease, read the other related atherosclerosis pages.

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Some Related Atherosclerosis Pages

Click here for more pages and articles on Atherosclerosis.